GlobalPartycrasher

I have only used DC as a backup in the past few years because AmEx so completely overtook DC in terms of program features and website functionality, which is ironic given that when MR started back in the day I thought it was an inferior product in comparison to Club Rewards.

Witnessing this botched conversion has reminded me of the fiasco Target experienced this fall with its Missoni for Target launch. It wasn't just the technical failures that frustrated people, it was the total failure to communicate in a timely and accurate fashion and to acknowledge the scale of the problem.

It's doubly surprising with DC because DC used to be a niche product for heavy T&E spenders and international business travelers, while Target is a mass marketer. Yet every communication I have received from BMO (annoucmenet of conversion, new Card terms, assignment of credit limit) has been amaterusih and/or untimely, or both.

I'm waiting until the dust settles a bit before making a final decision on whether to keep this card or not, but there's no question that the past month has placed a jheavy burden of proof on BMO that they can actually deliver on what the DC product is supposed to be.

Is this card I'd want to be carrying when checking out of a hotel in Tbilisi or Baku with a large number of unexpected incidental charges? Hardly.

garkster

In all my years of using credit cards, I have never seen the following:

Last statement "New Balance" (10/19 - 11/17) = X
Statement "Total Minimum Payment Due" = X
Payment Due Date = 12/14/2011

So far, so good / normal.

Today I log in to pay the statement. After encountering some ridiculous error having to do with the Nov. 7 debacle, I see that the "Minimum Payment Due" = X + Y, where Y = the amount of transactions posted after my last statement closed.

This is a) Wrong, and b) Inexcusable.



I now can't wait to get rid of this card (and of course have to figure out what to do with all of the points), which I have used for many years. Very sad.

mymontreal

With no transactions showing online for the time period 07 Nov to 21 Nov, I listened to the audio list of recent transactions.

There were 5 charges that I don't recognize at all so wanted to get more info/dispute - yesterday I tried calling DC twice - on both occasions I waited in excess of 40 minutes to talk to somebody and eventually hung up...

Not being able to get through to somebody in this length of time is just insane and totally inexcusable...

I have used DC for most of my purchases over the last 10 years, but I will give this another couple of weeks to see if it improves - if it doesn't improve, I will seriously consider dropping this card like a hot potato

squeakr

I laid out the whole story on the phone to them before I had DH make the change. As long as you use Amex to PAY for the rental there is no problem having had another card to reserve the rental.

ohmark

Wonder if BMO's incompetence in administering the DC changeover is violating some federal rules and/or law? DC customers can no longer rely on printed bills or internet site to accurately reflect purchases, amount due, or amount paid, and BMO has made it next to impossible to contact customer service by telephone or email.

mia

I am not aware of any requirement that a card issuer offer a website or telephone customer service. To my knowledge Diners (USA) has never implemented electronic statements. If the statement received through the mail is inaccurate you need to send a letter disputing the charges.

In any event, I think that what we want is for BMO to solve the problems, not retribution.

ohmark

Because of inaccurate info in my mailed statement and inaccurate info showing online, I attempted to call DC/BMO customer service. Deciding after 30 minutes that enough was enough, I followed website instructions to send an email to customer service. Now, well over a week later, I still have received no response. I'm not sure they would respond any better to mailed questions or complaints, and in fact doubt it.

Basically, my question still is: Can the customer service of a credit card company, including inaccuracy of the information they provide, be so bad so as to violate federal law or regulation?

As to "retribution," the way our regulatory framework (and civil legal framework) works is that violators are penalized in an effort to improve performance. For example, there have been far fewer airplanes full of passengers stuck on runways for 6 hours or more in recent years since the FAA began regulating the situation. Thus, curious as to whether there are regulations dealing with the kind of problems now being presented by DC/BMO to its customers.

drwilliams

I think the free market will work in this instance, unless it is not allowed to work in this instance, as it always can.

Asking government to provide good service through regulations does not appear to work up here in Canada, home of BMO, maybe it would work better in the US. If they can run the postal service, surely they can run credit card issuers.

If the product sucks so bad I would drop it. I dropped Diners years ago for inferior service, and have done fine without them. We have nowhere near the competition here there is in the US, and we still have other options.

mia

It was not working over the weekend or this morning, but I was able to submit a payment at 11:45am (EST).

garkster

Bear in mind that there's another banking entity in the mix (at least here in the states) -- Harris Bank, a subsidiary of BMO is the issuer of the card, so almost certainly does all of the servicing. As such, they would be subject to all existing regulations in the US pertaining to issuers of credit cards. The procedures for challenging mistakes on your statement are on the back of the statement, and the contact address is on the front (not the same as the payment address). Yes, I know that they're not very good about answering the phone right now, but you're only truly protected if you put claims in writing anyway (and keep pristine documentation).

That said, I agree that the free market is preferable, where, at least in my case, it's an annoyance, wasting my time etc. If there were personal sums in play (as there may be for others), it would be a different story -- YMMV.

ILuvParis

I have been keeping a log of my conversations with dates, times and names of the agents with whom I have spoken. I'll get my complaints in writing within the next few weeks if they don't get things fixed. They still have a $1700+ mistake on my account.

ReachForTheSky

I received the letter from BMO about the switch weeks ago. I have been concerned about using my card and being rejected so I haven't used it much lately. I am concerned that several weeks after this switch many people are still experiencing problems and when I call customer service to ask about my account & the status of all of these problems I get a "15-20" min wait time message. Citi wasn't the greatest but I never had to wait.

Fortunately I've had some down time and haven't really needed my card but that's going to change soon and if these issues are not resolved soon I may have to park my card. I can't take the chance of being stranded without a card or any customer service.

peersteve

......and so far I had been immune from the transitional follies.....

Tonight checked my transactions on-line..... and it showed a huge PAST-DUE amount, which was the total of the statement due Dec 9 (4 days from now), PLUS all transactions since last statement......

Of course, called DC in the hopes of getting it fixed before having some past-due amount stuck on a TransUnion credit record......and after the requisite 30 mins on hold, the agent said the "website is wonky, only believe what you see on your paper statements."
Agent did look-up on their computer to confirm correct amounts due, and NO past-due amount.

Expressed my thanks but frustration to the agent, and asked for "a whole bunch of points or rebate on the annual fee." He offered 500 points: "that's all I'm authorized to do."

Arrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhh

ohmark

I had a balance last month of about $800. Paid it all on time, as always. The website accurately reflected the payment. Current purchases this month about $60. Just checked my account on the website. It shows a past due of well over $1,000. Sheer incompetence.

mia

Monday 12.05.2011 I made payment online. Today 12.07.2011 it shows online, and the phantom Current Amount Past Due now shows $0.00. I surmise that at some point they loaded the account balance into the Past Due field, then rebuilt the transaction database. At one point many of my transactions were undated, but this was cleaned up when the statement was issued.